


Special Treatment

by fragilecapricornpanic



Series: PRE-WRITTEN, Pre-Canon Sibling Encounters [57]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Diego Hargreeves is Bad at Feelings, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Mush, Gen, Good Sibling Diego Hargreeves, Good Sibling Vanya Hargreeves, Kid Fic, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Pre-Canon, Protective Diego Hargreeves, Sibling Bonding, Soft Vanya Hargreeves, Stuttering Diego Hargreeves, Vanya Hargreeves Deserves Better, Vanya Hargreeves Needs A Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:33:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26341207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fragilecapricornpanic/pseuds/fragilecapricornpanic
Summary: Not long out of the academy, Diego awkwardly goes to visit Vanya’s new apartment. He wants to try and work towards having a somewhat normal sibling relationship, now they’re no longer under their dad’s roof. Vanya struggles with her anxiety due to his visit.
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves
Series: PRE-WRITTEN, Pre-Canon Sibling Encounters [57]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869709
Comments: 2
Kudos: 92





	Special Treatment

As much as Diego wanted to, it still felt pretty forced and awkward to spend time with Vanya. Especially alone. Klaus was a pain in the ass, but at least he broke the ice. Diego stepped in to Vanya’s apartment, giving a tight-lipped smile to his sister. It wasn’t a shithole like his. She even had a _separate bedroom_. Diego had found it difficult enough to afford an apartment that had a goddamn bathroom. “I like it.” he muttered, feeling like he was an unwelcome guest. He liked his sister, she was honestly the sibling he could tolerate the most... he just didn’t know what to say. Diego really hoped they could form a relationship that vaguely resembled normal siblings - it was just awkward between them. She was so timid, like a spooked cat.

“Thanks.” Vanya gently replied, feeling incredibly guilty to have a nicer apartment than her brother. She knew she only had it because dad increased her allowance so she didn’t have to deal with the stress and noise of dorms. It was always disorientating for Vanya that her father cared about her anxiety so much, he didn’t care about her in any other manner. It was probably so he didn’t have to be bugged by her worsening mental health, she figured. Vanya gestured a timid hand out towards her couch, inviting Diego to sit down. He nodded slightly and wordlessly made his way over. Vanya always felt so painfully ordinary around her family. The uncomfortable nature of this visit was making Vanya’s skin crawl, but she was glad to see her brother. She didn’t have any friends, and Diego was her favorite remaining sibling - though she was certain she wasn’t his. Vanya bit down on her lip to stop herself from thinking about Ben and Five. “Coffee?” she shyly offered, glancing over her shoulder to gaze at her brother as she made her way to the french press. Diego nodded once again, before looking back down to the knife he was spinning in his hand.

It would be nice if he could get a place like this one day, Diego mused. “Does college like,” he flitted his vision across the room, taking in her sparse collection of possessions “give you a place to live?” Diego had no idea how school worked, it had never even been an option presented to numbers One to Six. The few friends Diego had made since leaving had mostly been high school drop outs, hence meeting them at various dead-end jobs. He wasn’t sure how else Vanya could get a place like this. Diego heard coffee grounds spill on the floor, looking up to find Vanya had dropped them in a fluster. Did he do something wrong?

Vanya gulped anxiously. She felt so guilty to be receiving special treatment from their dad, the others deserved it more than _her_. “It’s um... my allowance.” she mumbled sheepishly, busying herself with making the coffee so she didn’t have to look over to her brother. She felt her face growing blushed with self-condemnation. Diego made a small hum of understanding. He didn’t sound mad or hurt, Vanya couldn’t understand why not. She peered over her shoulder again, finding her brother sauntering over to her violin. “Yeah, I don’t take my allowance.” he casually murmured, glancing down to her violin wistfully. Vanya wondered if Diego still played any instruments, he’d been quite good. “Oh?” she meekly replied, pouring the water she’d boiled into the french press.

The violin always looked so intriguing, Diego felt. Not to play, it wasn’t really his style - just to admire. It looked so fancy and intricate, it made Diego feel kind of peaceful. Vanya’s music had always been relaxing, especially after a mission or dreaded personal training. Her violin was probably to Vanya, what his knives were to Diego. “Yeah...” he murmured, tearing his vision away from the violin and ambling back over to the couch. He was still fiddling with a blade, but it was more out of habit than awkwardness now. “I don’t want a cent from that asshole.” he stated gruffly. As he plonked himself back down, he began to feel worried he’d implied Vanya wasn’t as morally sound as him. That wasn’t how he felt. He wanted his sister to have her allowance, the thought of her living in a neighborhood as shitty as his made him feel anxious. Vanya was so goddamn tiny and submissive. She was silently pouring coffee into two mugs, bowing her head to hide behind her bangs. “Klaus keeps begging to have my allowance.” he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, as his sister lightly giggled.

Was Vanya the _only_ sibling who got an allowance? Diego refused, Klaus wasn’t allowed one, Allison didn’t need one due to her power and rapidly growing fame, and Luther stayed in the academy. Shame was gnawing at Vanya, she didn’t have any right to get something the others didn’t. “Maybe I should stop accepting mine...” she mumbled as she handed a cup of coffee to her brother. He glanced up to her as he received it, frowning intensely. Had she offended him? It was probably quite insensitive to mention stopping an allowance he had never even had. Why was she such an utter idiot?

“Fuck no.” Diego grunted, scrunching his face up in mild outrage. “You got a right to it.” he announced confidently, shrugging his shoulders. Vanya offered a tiny smirk, almost as small as her stature. Diego returned one, feeling quite content with having a semi-normal encounter with a sibling. Maybe they could even be friends one day, Diego hoped. He felt jealous of the guys he knew, the way they would look out for their little sisters. He wanted to look out for Vanya, even if they were technically the same age. She would definitely be easier to help out than freaking _Klaus_.

—

Making his way out of the door, Diego rubbed the scar on his scalp bashfully. “It was uh-“ he turned on his heel to face his baby sister, clearing his throat awkwardly. This was _way_ too close to emotions for Diego’s liking. He hoped he wasn’t going to revert back into his stutter right now, it felt like a punch in the gut after he’d only just finally gotten rid of it. “good to see you.” he decided on, attempting to keep his sentences clipped.

Smirking diffidently, Vanya glanced up through her bangs to meet her brother’s eye. “It was good to see you too.” she muttered, before quickly flitting her vision back down to her shoes. She shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously. Diego had neglected to move from her doorstep, which she assumed meant he was working himself up to say something. “Kl-Klaus keeps begging me to take him to Griddy’s every time he sees me,” Vanya bit down on the inside of her lip, this topic always made her heart ache. More often than not, she wasn’t invited when the others snuck out. They tried to say she was a _”liability”_ since they wandered the streets alone... they said that she wouldn’t be able to handle herself if they ran into trouble. “do you want to c-come sometime?” her brother clumsily offered. He sounded terribly uncomfortable making the suggestion, Vanya hoped it was because he knew how much it would mean to her... rather than him just not wanting to. She flicked her sights back up to Diego, grinning genuinley. “Sure.” she whispered, still half convinced this was a practical joke. Diego smirked back, an expression of relief crossed his face. Maybe he didn’t loathe her as much as she had thought.


End file.
